Frozen: Fire and Ice
by GenErick64
Summary: It's Winter Festival time in Arendelle! Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are finally settling into normal since the events of last summer. All seems to be fine until a mysterious fire engulfs the forest around Arendelle. Who or what caused this disaster?
1. --

It's been almost a year since I left my home. I have been trying to find a new place to fit in ever since then. There have been short moments where I finally feel I can be at peace. Peace with myself, peace with what I have done. However, I struggle for control over something I do not understand, a curse I have had for as long as I have memory, a curse that drove me away from my home. My cycle of running and settling down has allowed me to stumble upon Arendelle. Maybe I can finally find something or someone to help me find peace with myself so I may be able to go back home and somehow make peace with my family.


	2. Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

Elsa quietly entered her sister's room and sat on the bed next to Anna's sleeping form. She swept a strand of hair out of her sister's mouth and back into the tangled fireball of Anna's hair.

"Anna, it's time to wake up." Elsa said, gently shaking her sister's shoulder.

"Time. What time is it?" Anna asked groggily, still sleeping.

"It's before breakfast, Anna."

"Just give me five...five more minutes." Anna yawned before falling back into her light snore.

Elsa stood and went to the bedroom door. "Just don't take too long, or I will have to build a snowman all by myself."

She closed the door and leaned against the wall nearby, waiting. Seconds later, Anna burst out of the door wearing a blue winter dress with a pink cloak. "Come on, Elsa, you are wasting time!"

Anna grabbed her sister's hand, practically dragging Elsa to the garden where they planned to build the snowman. The first natural snow of winter had covered everything in a white blanket disturbed only by the sister's footsteps as they entered the garden. The predawn sky was alive with the light of aurora borealis as the sun had barely begun to crest the horizon.

"It's beautiful." Anna said as she took in the sight.

"Maybe if you wouldn't sleep in you'd see it more often." Elsa teased.

"Well I, like other normal people, love our full night's rest." Anna countered.

Elsa saw her sister's face fill with regret over her comment about "normal people". Elsa knew what Anna meant and gave her sister a reassuring chuckle. Anna dropped a bag she was holding and knelt down to the snow before forming a ball of snow in the palms of her mittens. Elsa followed her lead and set her ball of snow on top of Anna's larger one. Elsa then started on the snowman's head while Anna took two pieces of coal, two twigs, and a carrot from a bag slung over her shoulder and finished their snowman.

"Do your thing, sis." Anna stepped back as Elsa twirled her finger causing wisps of snow and ice to circle the snowman before bringing it to life.

"Olaf!" Anna cried as the snowman gave her a warm hug.

"Olaf, what happened?" Elsa asked.

Olaf released the princess from his hug and faced the queen. "Well, I...uh my snow got dirty and I knew that when people get dirty they take baths so I tried to wash myself and I melted."

"Olaf, even freezing cold water can melt snow, if you get dirty again just come see me and I will help you. We were worried sick when we could not find you."

"I'm sorry." Olaf looked down at the ground and shuffled his foot in the snow.

Elsa knelt down and hugged the snow golem. "You don't need to apologise, you didn't know any better."

The trio was interrupted when the castle's seneschal, Kai, greeted them with a bow. "Your majesties, breakfast is now being served in the dining room. Sir Kristoff is already waiting for you there.


	3. Ice

Anna and Elsa had arrived at the dining room and greeted Kristoff who was waiting patiently for them to arrive.

Ever since he started his courtship with Anna, Kristoff was welcome into the castle whenever he pleased. He did not take advantage of this freedom, however. When he was not with Anna, Kristoff preferred to be up in the mountains instead whenever he had free time from mining ice from the northern lakes.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Anna and Kristoff had to keep their conversations quiet while the Queen and her advisor went over the schedules planned for the winter festival which started in two days. Guests would be arriving from other kingdoms to attend the festival which started with a ball and spanned the entire week with varied celebrations and other competitions planned. The only issue on the guest list that concerned Elsa was the arrival Prince Karl of the Southern Isles, Prince Hans' eldest brother. The Queen begrudgingly approved his request for an invitation after reading his letter practically begging her to try to clear the bad blood between their kingdoms after his little brother's stunt.

After a few hours, seeming more like days, the advisor finally left and Elsa looked up at the empty table, she wondered when her sister left, or more confusingly, how she left without her noticing. She cast the thought away, knowing Anna did not mind. Elsa had been reminded several times by her sister that she understood the demands that running a kingdom required. Being as young as she was doubled the strain of her responsibilities to Arendelle and the Queen relied heavily on her advisors to which she was eternally grateful for their wisdom.

The Queen entered the castle courtyard flanked by two guards, more of a formality than for protection. It seemed like everyone had turned up to see the queen create her ice decorations for the upcoming festival. It was only a simple chore but the people loved to gaze upon the beauty of her ice powers, and, it made Elsa feel accepted by her people.

The Queen raised her arms and started with the two fountains, gently coaxing the dancing streams of water before freezing the flow in place. She moved on to the perimeter of the courtyard and created various statues of people, the craftsmanship rivaled only by master statue carvers. The final part of the decoration was on the roof of the castle and the surrounding guard towers. Ice slowly trickled along the surface leaving an effect that looked as if the roof was made of jewels. Elsa waved her hand and created the finishing touch, a snowflake, unique as any other, on top of the tallest spire of the castle.

The crowd cheered when the final decoration was in place and Anna stepped up next to her sister.

"I am so jealous of you sometimes, do you even get tired of creating all of these beautiful things?"

Elsa smiled at the princess. "Not at all, it is a really nice break from everything."

The crowd's cheers had died down to a steady rumble of conversations as they checked out the queen's most recent constructs. Elsa worked her hands in midair to create a sphere of ice before giving it to her sister. Anna took it and found that Elsa made her a snowglobe with a miniature version of the castle inside.

Anna hugged her sister. "It's beautiful, I love it."

"I'm glad you do," Elsa replied, "and don't worry too much because it will not melt but it can shatter if you drop it."

Everyone went silent when they heard a panicked outburst.

"Fire!"

The queen turned to the nearby guard tower she heard the call come from.

"Fire! Fire in the north woods!"

The Queen's guards were barely fast enough to open the doors for her as Elsa ran to see what was going on. She quickly spotted the fire to the north with the large columns of thick black smoke which was still far enough away that there was no immediate danger but it could rage upon the city quickly. Elsa gestured the guards to step back as she waved her arms and conjured a snowstorm over the fire, quickly extinguishing the flames.

"Fires like this don't usually start on their own especially in winter. My queen, should I gather the men?"

Elsa turned to the guard. "Yes, find out what caused this disaster, rescue any survivors, and make sure to check on that trading post."

With a bow, the guard exited the tower and headed off.


	4. Fire

"Come on, kid, just give us the sword and we may leave you alone."

Two men wearing dark clothes and hoods had cornered a traveler in the forest. They each had a sadistic smile on their faces and obviously wanted more than to rob their victim.

"You want this sword? Take it!"

The traveler drew his sword and charged his enemies, he handled them easily since he was a highly skilled swordsman yet he failed to notice the third bandit emerge from the bushes until it was too late and quickly received a hard blow to the back of his head. The traveler fell, dizzy and disoriented, he saw a blurry figure raising a weapon to finish him off. He raised his hand to block the blow and saw a flash of orange just before passing out.

* * *

Elsa was in her study writing yet another rejection letter to the Duke of Weselton for his third letter requesting she rescind her moratorium on trade between them. With this being the third request, she kindly reminded him he was lucky to have his head after he sent his henchmen to kill her after she accidentally froze the summer. She then signed the letter and imprinted the paper with a snowflake before putting it in an envelope with a wax seal.

Elsa slumped back in her chair, exhausted, and looked up to the painting of her father.

"How did you do it?"

The painting stared back at her with the same resolute expression that answered her every time in the past. She was startled when an unexpected knock came to the door.

"Who is it?" She asked, hoping it was Anna.

"It's Captain Tiberius, your majesty, may I come in?"

She allowed it. The captain entered, his short, wide frame deceived only by his deep voice yet he was still very strong and not too round.

"My queen," the captain continued, "we finished our search of the burned forest and found no major loss of property but there is one thing I wish for you to see down in the dungeon. I could not for the life of me describe it so I thought it best for you to see it for yourself."

The queen was puzzled at the captain's lack of words since he usually described every problem with eloquence. Her work was done for now so she decided to see what had the captain so excited.

Tiberius directed Elsa to one of the cells with a prisoner inside, he was unconscious.

"We found him at the origin of the fire with three charred corpses around him; miraculously, he was the only one unscathed which leads me to believe he is the arsonist."

"If he caused this fire then why did he let himself get caught?"

"I'm not sure, your majesty, you can ask him though, the chloroform should be wearing off any minute now."

The queen gave the captain a puzzled look.

"We had to sedate him because he resisted us as we tried to grab him."

Elsa fidgeted nervously, she had suspicions of her own about the prisoner.

"Oh, yes! I also wanted you to see these."

The captain walked over to a table and dumped a pack of its contents. He first selected the sword which was made of high quality rolled steel and had a gold plated hilt with a blue sapphire embedded in it.

"This also gets my suspicions up that he is a thief as well, I don't recognize where it might be from but it was definitely forged for a king. There is also a bag of gold coins with an unusual royal seal on them and a pair of old leather gloves."

Elsa picked up the gloves, uninterested in the other items, and examined them herself. The thick leather was hard to bend and the inside of the gloves were black and smelled burned.

"Open the cell." Elsa ordered.

The captain acquiesced, drawing his sword and readying to act at the first sign of trouble.

Elsa entered the cell and saw the prisoner huddled in the corner with his hands tucked into his sides. She recognized immediately that was exactly what she did when she was trying to conceal her own power.

"What is your name and where are your from?"

He looked up at the queen, his eyes filled with a familiar fear.

"I-I'm James, of New Callette."


	5. The Fire Inside

Elsa had exited the dungeon cell and was quietly talking to Captain Tiberius about where this mysterious New Callette was and why they have never heard of it.

"Your majesty, if I may, I can take a few of these coins and show them to the merchants, perhaps they know more."

The queen nodded approval.

Tiberius gathered the coins and directed a few guards to protect the queen in his absence before leaving. Elsa still had some questions and entered the cell again.

"What happened in the forest?"

James looked back at the queen. "I was cornered by two men that wanted my sword, they must have wanted it badly since they tracked me for two days. I would have been able to fight them off but I did not see the third until it was too late and I accidentally ignited the fire as they were about to strike me down."

"What do you mean? How did you set the fire?"

"I'll show you if I can have my gloves back."

Once James got his gloves back he started to rub his hands together causing the cell to get warmer. Then, he snapped his fingers and a ball of orange flame danced to life in his hand. In the light, Elsa noticed his eyes matched the sapphire on his sword; the color in his eyes tainted only by sadness and a fear she knew all too well.

As quickly as it flashed to life, the flame was extinguished and James quickly slipped his gloves on and tucked his hands back into himself.

"You can't control it, can you?"

"That's not one I have heard yet, usually people call me a monster and try to kill me. How can you tell that I can't control it?"

Elsa summoned a snowflake into her palm. "I have a bit of experience with this sort of thing."

James remained silent and continued to stare as the queen dissipated her snowflake.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I guess I am just shocked, all of my life I thought I was the only one with this kind of power. I finally have some hope to gain control- That is, if you are willing to help me. I would pay any price just for that."

"There is no need for that, and while I can not help you directly, I know some who can."

James slowly rose to his feet, making sure he was steady.

"You have no reason to be helping me like this, why?"

"I am helping you because, when I look into your eyes, I see what I used to be."

* * *

Elsa and James arrived in a valley with geothermal vents dotting the floor. James helped the queen dismount her horse's side saddle and earned an approving smile.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"We are seeking help from some people I have known since I was a little girl. If they don't know anything about your power, no one does."

They stopped in a clearing littered with many small boulders. James gave a start when he saw one rolling for him and dodged. But the rock stopped short of where he was and unfurled into a rock troll, barely taller than his knees. The other rocks followed the lead and revealed themselves as well.

"Your majesty," the elder troll greeted the queen, "I am very pleased to be meeting you again. How may I be of assistance?"

Elsa motioned over to James who seemed completely out of his element amongst the army of curious trolls.

"He has magic similar to mine but with fire. He has been looking for a way to control it."

The elder motioned for James to come over.

"Please, kneel down and remove your glove."

James offered a shaky hand but balked at the last second.

"Don't worry, you can't hurt me for I am made of stone."

This time, James connected with the troll's rocky grip.

"Oh my. So much grief for a young prince as yourself. To gain control, you must confront-"

James released his grip and started walking away, the air was very hot around him. Elsa started to follow but was stopped by the elder troll.

"Leave him be for now, I saw more than he would have liked. Unfortunately, the burden has fallen to you to help him control the fire inside of him."

"What do you mean?"

"He has fire in his heart, but, unlike Anna whose heart burns bright and vivaciously, his heart smolders slow and steady. He loves and cares the same but takes his time and can be a bit shy. Show him kindness and he will open up to you on his own."

Elsa had never gotten used to the elder troll's cryptic messages but she knew she would figure it out when the time came.

"Woah woah woah, watch out, bud."

"Man down! Man down!"

Everyone turned their attention to the cacophony of panicked shouts and found James on the ground, unconscious.


End file.
